January 2024 Edited by: Devin Andrade

Dear Colleagues:

I hope you had a restful, relaxing, and refreshing holiday, filled with family, friends and community. As we begin a new year and a new semester, I am excited as to what 2024 will bring. The future is always uncertain, but I know we can count on at least one thing – thanks to you, Seneca will continue to be innovative, nimble, and willing to adopt new strategies to adapt to our constantly changing world.

Prior to the break I had the privilege of attending several of the many end-of-year events for students in the Faculty of Communication, Art and Design. Each one highlighted the talents of our students, as well as the crucial role our professors play in helping them reach their potential.

And at every showcase, experiential learning was front and centre:

• Graduating students in Seneca’s Illustration diploma program presented their original work in a local gallery – a proud night for students, parents and friends, but also a key, hands-on example of how learning by doing helps our students develop skills applicable to their careers. It also capped off a great year in which students won national and international recognition for the quality of their work.
• Students in the Acting for Camera and Voice diploma program performed in front of their peers and first-year students. The performances included improv-based exercises and scenes. It was a remarkable display of creativity where the students showed all of the skills they had developed and honed over the past two years.
• Animation students showcased their 2D films to a packed house in S1208. The screenings (which were streamed live) also included constructive feedback from alumni and current profs.
• Students in the Honours Bachelor of Communications and Media degree screened their short films, created as part of course on video and audio editing. The quality of the work belied the fact that this was a first-year, introductory course.
• Event Management -Creative Design students transformed multiple Yorkville venues into elegant dining spaces as part of the annual Bloor Street Entertains fundraiser. The settings were spectacular, reflecting the care and creativity the students dedicated to the occasion.
• Graphic Design students in the Design for Social Change course put together a superb presentation for the Accelerating Accessibility Coalition, showing what an accessible housing campaign could look like.
• And of course, our School of Marketing students once again distinguished themselves, bringing home the top overall prize at the Ontario Colleges’ Marketing Competition for the second year in a row.

Experiential learning is a key component of a Seneca Polytechnic education. It encompasses the hands-on learning students do in the classroom, such as interactive simulations, labs, capstone, and industry projects – in short, all of the practical educational experiences that prepare students to thrive in the workforce, as well as field placements and co-ops.

The newly-created role of Dean, Seneca Works, reflects Seneca’s commitment to experiential learning. Dario Guescini is in the midst of a comprehensive consultation process to ensure we continue to broaden students’ horizons while preparing them for emerging trends in their industries. This will include specific goals for 2023-26, supporting the Next’s commitments to get our students work and world-ready. I know that with your support, and the expertise of Dario and his team, Seneca will continue to lead in this space.

Stay well and stay safe,

Kurt

John Goodwin is the successful candidate for the position of Director, Seneca Film Institute and Chair, School of Creative Arts & Animation. He started his new role on Wednesday, January 3rd.

John joins us from Durham College, where he led significant innovations and partnerships in the screen-based industries. For the past five years, he served as Head, Creative/Technology for the Mixed Reality Capture Studio. In addition to directing the strategic vision, infrastructure, industry partnerships and capital budget for the studio, he led the implementation of a next generation, real-time motion capture stage for use in screen industries and alternate screen applications. He was also program co-ordinator of Durham College’s Game Art program. John revamped the program to more closely align with industry needs, and in collaboration with IT, converted the program’s labs to cloud-based computing centres in response to the pandemic. Prior to his post-secondary career, John was the owner and creative director for the Pixel Canvas Design Studio, a new media consultancy for small and medium businesses, specializing in online branding and marketing.

He holds a Master of Education from the University of Ontario Institute of Technology. Please join me in welcoming John to his new role.

I would also like to thank Tina Cortese, chair of the School of Media, for serving as Acting Chair, SCAA for the past semester.

Congratulations to School of Marketing Professor Scott Campbell. He is the latest recipient of the FCAD Spotlight Award. The award highlights employees who:

• Go above and beyond in educating and serving students.
• Support their colleagues and are great team players.
• Enhance Seneca’s reputation with external audiences.
• Bring forward innovative ideas and solutions.

This is a peer-driven award. Here’s a sample of what colleagues had to say about Scott:

"Scott Campbell embodies the essence of dedication and support at Seneca. He goes above and beyond to ensure that students receive not only an exceptional education but also opportunities to apply their knowledge in real-world applications. For example, he has taken on the role of General Manager of our OCMC team for the past five years which provides one of the most positive experiences for students in their careers. He will dedicate time to organize, bring in judges, provide feedback and support students to recognize their true potential as marketing students. In addition, he will provide endless support to all coaches to ensure they are prepared and ready for their events with students. As a colleague, Scott has always been a true team player."

If you would like to recognize someone who makes outstanding contributions to FCAD, please nominate them for a Spotlight Award.

For their course on Cause Marketing, Creative Advertising students came up with communications plans to revive the 360Kids annual fundraising/awareness campaign during which volunteers experience homelessness for 24 hours. Cause Marketing is the intersection of profit and purpose and this project gave students a real-life opportunity to consider the marketing needs for this kind of event or initiative.

Five teams competed and 360Kids was impressed by all the presentations. They chose one team as the winner and plan on hiring one or more members to execute the campaign.

Ogho Ikhalo, a graduate of a previously-offered program in broadcast journalism, joined Women of Influence to discuss her career in communications and her current role as Director, of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion for Hydro One.

Excerpt

The most significant lesson I have learned as a leader is the profound importance of empathy. Empathy has been the guiding light of my leadership journey, shaping my approach to fostering a more inclusive and equitable environment within our organization and beyond.

In my current role, empathy has taught me to actively listen to the voices of those who have historically been marginalized to understand their plight and perspectives. It allows me to better connect with my colleagues, recognizing their unique experiences and challenges. Through empathy, I have learned and aim to lead by example, demonstrating the respect and support essential for building an inclusive workplace.

Animation professor David Baas’ photography was recently recognized in a competition held by a photography club. The Beach Photo Club awarded his photo "Eagle Skimming" 1st place in the Nature/Wildlife Category. It was also the highest ranked single photo in the entire competition, which had multiple categories and more than 100 entries. His photo "Isabel Swinging" also received honourable mention in the People in Action category.

David’s animation work is also award winning. He was part of the Oscar Award winning team for the National Film Board of Canada / Seneca co-produced animated short "Ryan".

Fashion professor Ross Mayer was part of Fashion Art Toronto (FAT), where he showcased his latest collection. Alum Eunice Chow also presented at FAT, along with three other FAA grads, their collection called Macel Design.

FAT is an annual multidisciplinary fashion event that showcases cutting-edge and avant-garde design in Toronto. The event celebrates the intersection of fashion and art, highlighting emerging and established designers who push the boundaries of creativity and challenge traditional notions of style and what clothing can mean.

Seneca Silver Screen Shorts was an intimate and interactive screening of the short films produced by first-semester students in the Honours Bachelor of Communications and Media.

Co-hosted by Holly Cybulski, BCMM's Program Coordinator, and Anastasiya Ivanova, the professor who led the students through their productions, this event was intended to model industry practice, showcasing student talent in a mock film festival model. The event celebrated the six short films in red-carpet fashion with photo ops, selfies, snacks, speeches, personalized awards and media coverage by Seneca Journalism's Anisa Ali, entertainment reporter, and Olanrewaju Basil Ogaosun, videographer.

"I am proud and humbled by the incredible talent and professionalism that we see in the work of our students,” says Anastasiya. "We are grateful for all the support we have from our Dean, Chair and colleagues in celebrating these first-semester milestones with a little glam and bling!"

Showing their support, special event guests included Kurt Muller, Dean of the Faculty of Communications, Art & Design, Tina Cortese, Chair of the School of Media, and BCMM faculty members, Dr. Donna Gall, and Mary Pretotto.

The event house photographer was Michael Cimesa, a Technical assistant at the School of Media and Event and Media Production student.